Mesalands Dinosaur Museum and Natural Sciences Laboratory — Attraction in Tucumcari

Super surprising museum. We were skeptical because of the neighborhood, but this is a well done museum. We travel cross country almost twice a year and have visited many many many museums.

Staff was very friendly and professional, the gift shop is very educationally stocked with gems/coloring books/informational books/building kits/lifelike dinosaur action figures/games/ tshirts/stuffed animals and more, boxed water sold as well 😀.

Bathrooms are very clean, smelled good and stocked.

Museum itself is carpet and well lit to display the exhibits appropriately. The exhibits range from natural rocks, fossilized trees and shells, dinosaur bones, dioramas, viewing area of the lab where techs work, kids play area with coloring station, dig site with shovels and bones (in crushed walnuts), and a Dino with a saddle to sit on too. There was a lot to see.

You can make this a quick trip and walk through to stretch your legs and the kids run or take your time and take in all the information available on each exhibit.

This is a kid friendly place where the kids can have fun. They have to be supervised so they don't go into the dioramas, but there is plenty to touch. We made a fun game where the kids had to find the green go hand to touch something.

All in all a great value and quick stop off the freeway. We took less than hour and took our time without...

The Mesalands Dinosaur Museum in Tucumcari, New Mexico is a hidden gem. I became aware of the museum through the Tucumcari town website and decided to visit with my 15 year old. As we entered, we were greated by the very friendly director/hostess of the museum. She asked where we were from, how we discovered the museum, and gave us an overview of the premises. We discovered that the museum houses both original fossels and replicas of dinosaurs which once inhabited the area as well as minerals from around the world. The exhibits kept both of our interests as we made our way through. Additionally, an interactive area provided by the museum allows younger children to be introduced to the world of dinosaurs and minerals. The tour took about an hour in total. The Mesalands Dinosaur Museum is an excellent resource for learning about dinosaurs and minerals. The facility is a major asset to Tucumcari in particular and eastern New Mexico in general. When visiting Tucumcari, a trip to the Mesalands Dinosaur...

This place was amazing! Not too large, not too small. Everything was easy to understand for adults and young kids. Admission to get in was great. The lady behind the counter was so nice. The displays were great, the art work was very vivid with beautiful colors. This place is nice whether you are a single person or have kids. It's not all dinosaurs things either. They have other different science things on very beautiful display. Also have comfortable benches throughout to sit.The gift has nice, unique souvenirs of varying prices for all budgets and it isn't all geared towards kids. My teen son saw the billboard advertisements for it (he's always loved dinosaurs) while we were traveling. A hotel we stayed in had a brochures in the lobby. He saw one for this museum, grabbed it and we made plans to go. The building looks small on the outside but don't let it deceive you because that's just the souvenir/gift area. Overall,...